KABT BioBlog

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George Price and the Evolution of Altruism

Speaker: Paul Decelles – Johnson County Community College

Date: January 10, 2012

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Coaches Bar and Grill, 9089 W. 135th Street, one block west of 135th and Antioch, south side of 135th St.
Please note, this is a new location. Still Coaches, but they have moved

Ever since Darwin, biologists have puzzled over how evolution could favor the spread of “altruistic” behavior. The development of our understanding of this topic is itself a fascinating story. Orem Harman’s 2010 book, the Price of Altruism introduces us to one of the least known and yet important contributors to our understanding of the biology of altruism, George Price. Paul Decelles will use this book as a starting point to introduce some of the main controversies about the evolution of altruistic behavior and its implication for our species.

Paul Decelles is a biology professor at Johnson County Community College. His area of expertise is in population genetics and entomology, especially social insects. He did his undergraduate work at Cornell University, MS at the University of Georgia and PhD at the University of Kansas. He has been involved in Kansas science education issues especially related to the teaching of evolution and has served on the board of Kansas Citizen’s for Science.

For more information: biologycctrack@hotmail.com

If I were still teaching I’d probably apply for this….I really love the upper Mississippi and have long been fascinated by the archeology of the area.  By way of Randy Dix and Bonnie Jancik…..

Exploring the Past: Archaeology in the Upper Mississippi River Valley

Walking beside thousand-year-old burial mounds, flaking raw stone into tools, learning how potsherds tell us about human behavior, and understanding how humans adapt to complex, ever-changing environments­our 2012 NEH Summer Institute features all this and more.

The Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse will offer a three-week NEH Summer Institute on July 9–27, 2012.  This dynamic learning experience for K-12 teachers will explore how Native Americans and Euro-Americans have adapted to the Upper Mississippi River Valley over the past 13,500 years, and how archaeology leads to an understanding of how human cultures change and adapt through time.

The Institute will feature a one-day excavation experience, field trips to archaeological sites, hands-on laboratory and workshop activities, demonstrations, and classroom activities. Individual projects will help participants tailor the content to their own teaching areas. NEH Summer Scholars receive a $2,700 stipend to help offset their expenses.

Application and other information on the Institute will be available online at http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac/neh.htm.   The deadline for applications is March 1, 2012.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bonnie L. Jancik
Director of Public Education
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center
at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
1725 State Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: 608-785-6473
Fax: 608-785-6474
E-mail: bjancik@uwlax.edu

Visit the MVAC World Wide Web site at:
http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac

Visit the UW-L Archaeology Studies Program at:
http://www.uwlax.edu/Sociology/Archaeology

Educational partnerships between scientists/faculty and K-12 teachers
offer mutual professional benefits.The National Institute for
Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) bringsthe two
communities together through its Teacher Collaboration Program
<http://www.nimbios.org/education/teacher_collaboration> (TCP). The
program pairs K-12 teachers with interest in mathematics and biology
with active researchers in the math biology community including:
faculty, post-docs, and educators from the institute and recruits from
the math biology community.

Collaboration activities can include electronic emails, phone sessions,
teaching projects, classroom visits (in person or via web), cooperation
for after school activities (in person or via web), curriculum
discussion, enhanced applications to math biology, and discussions on
work assignments.

Partnerships promote the unity of science and math education. Through
their partners, teachers gain access to resources and knowledge of the
latest science and math research and perspective on education at the
university level. And through their K-12 teacher partners, scientists
and university faculty improve communication skills, learn the latest in
pedagogy, and gain insight into education at the K-12 level.

NIMBioS also maintains a TCP Wiggio, an online collaboration community,
for the purpose of sharing ideas, information, resources and event
schedules.

For more information about the program and a link to request a partner,
go to http://www.nimbios.org/education/teacher_collaboration

*****************************
Catherine Crawley, Ph.D.
Communications Coordinator
National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
University of Tennessee
1534 White Avenue, Suite 400
Knoxville, TN 37996-1527
e ccrawley@nimbios.org <mailto:ccrawley@nimbios.org>
t +1 865 974 9350 <tel:%2B1%20865%20974%209350>
f +1 865 974 9461 <tel:%2B1%20865%20974%209461>
http://www.nimbios.org
http://twitter.com/nimbios
To receive email notifications of blog updates, click here
<http://www.nimbios.org/wordpress/subscribe2updates/>.
To subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter, click here
<http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001RgvbKVLa7a4Psoj8H7c43A%3D%3D>.

Back in the fall of 1969 I arrived on KU’s campus.  One of the first stops for me was the Museum of Natural History but I only viewed the famous dioramas along with horse, Comanche.  Like many during those times I was uncertain about what I wanted to study.  I tried out a number of possible fields like engineering and physical anthropology but I finally found my true calling late in my sophomore year when I started realize that KU was a great place for biology and field biology in particular.  I discovered the Miscellaneous Publications from the museum.  Mammals of KS, Fishes of Kansas, Unioid Mussels of Ks, Gastropods of Ks, Spiders of the Natural History Reservation, and so on.   For a small town Kansas kid these books and pamphlets were inspiring and motivating.  I decided then and there to work at becoming a field biologist.

For the last few years I have been thinking about scanning my collection of these publications (all pre-1975) in order to share.  This fall I asked around to see if I could get permission to do so.  Low and behold, I found that I didn’t need to—it was already done!  Woo Hoo.  I’m not sure how you may or may not want to use these resources but you can find them at the Biodiversity Heritage Library’s web site:

University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publications

In the top bar you’ll find a scroll down menu that will allow you to view all the available documents and download them as PDF’s.

Here’s a list of some of the earlier publications:

For those KABTer’s that author on this blog I have implemented a significant update.  WP3.3 has a number of new features but I think the one you’ll most like is the updated Media uploader.  You can now just drag and drop files from you computer.  This should make including files in your posts much easier.  From WordPress:

Drag-and-Drop Media Uploader

Adding photos or other files to posts and pages just got easier. Drag files from your desktop and drop them into the uploader. Add one file at a time, or many at once.

Johnson County Science Cafe’

It is for real!! We are back in business. Coach’s is open. I have actually been inside and eaten a meal.

Near-Earth Asteroids and the Nov. 8 Flyby of 2005 YU55

Speaker: Jackie Beucher and Dick Trentman – Astronomical Society of Kansas City

Date: December 6, 2011

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Coaches Bar and Grill, 9089 W. 135th Street, one block west of 135th and Antioch, south side of 135th St.
Please note, this is a new location. Still Coaches, but they have moved

Kansas Citizens For Science and the Astronomical Society of Kansas City invite you to attend a presentation on asteroids and the flyby of near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55. The asteroid passed within 0.85 lunar distances from the Earth on November 8. The ASKC is providing two speakers, Jackie Beucher and Dick Trentman, who will give an overview talk about asteroids with special attention to the asteroidal orbit-refining work done at the ASKC’s Powell Observatory.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM on Tuesday the 8th at Coach’s Bar & Grill, in its new location on the south side of 135th just west of Antioch in Overland Park. Weather permitting, around 8:00 we will go up on the roof and observe various celestial objects, including the Moon and Jupiter, through telescopes provided by ASKC members.

Special note: Thank you all for your patience in waiting for our cafes to return. The new Coach’s is very nice and will make a wonderful home as we go forward.

For more information: biologycctrack@hotmail.com

You should consider taking advantage of this offer.  Evolution:  Education and Outreach is an excellent resource journal for teaching evolution.

From Ensi:

Evolution: Education & Outreach Journal

Offering Free Access to its Articles in 15 Issues
Until 2012

This journal, with its many excellent articles on evolution and the teaching of evolution, is kindly allowing

FREE downloads of any of the 350 articles  (as PDF files) in their 15 issues, from now until December 31, 2011.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!
Click Here For Details
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/EvoEdOut.Notice.html

Princeton University Molecular Biology Department along with Howard Hughes Medical Institute is holding a Summer Workshop for Science Teachers July 8-20, 2012

Molecular Biology Hands-On: Cool Genes, Colorful Proteins

Experiments include:
PCR analysis of your DNA, Testing your snack’s DNA for Genetically Modified Organisms, Creating multicolored bacteria by plasmid transformation, Visualizing fluorescent proteins by agarose gel electrophoresis, and Hunting for the super rhizobium!

For more information please visit our website:

http://www.hhmi.princeton.edu/

Please note that the deadline to apply is January 31st.

Several KABT members have taken advantage of this opportunity in the past to improve their understanding of biology and research while working on teaching strategies.  This program has a history of great outcomes.  Consider applying to expand your horizons.

FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY SUMMER RESEARCH TEACHER FELLOWSHIP

Eligibility:       Middle and high school science teachers in U.S. schools

Dates:             Fellowship year: April 2012 – April 2013

Online application due no later than: January 23, 2012

Notifications: March 2012

Fellowship payments:

·      $5,700 for research work and assignments

·      $300 for a classroom materials grant

·      Travel expenses to Experimental Biology, Boston, MA, April 20-24, 2013

Research Teacher Fellows Program: www.frontiersinphys.org

In this year-long professional development fellowship, teachers nationwide

1)      immerse themselves in cutting-edge biomedical research for 7-8 weeks;

2)      enhance their teaching skills in Six Star Science principles (student-centered instruction, diversity/equity, technology, assessment, current scientific content, and reflecting on teaching and learning); and

3)      build networks with scientists locally and nationally by attending a scientific conference.

EXPLORE Effective Teaching Strategies. The APS Six Star Science framework for supporting excellence in science education:

·   student-centered instruction

·   valuing diversity among students

·   integrating technology

·   developing authentic assessments

·   utilizing accurate and current content

·   reflecting on teaching and learning

EXPERIENCE the Research Process. Learn about:

·   the scientific method

·   generating valid hypotheses

·   connecting basic to clinical research

·   using animals and humans in research

·   research careers in physiology

ENHANCE Your Classroom Materials. Use toolkits of strategies and Six Star Science to:

·   transform cookbook labs into engaging student-centered, inquiry-based lessons

·   align lessons to your state and national science education standards

PROGRAM INFORMATION AND APPLICATION: www.frontiersinphys.org. Look for the “HOW TO APPLY” GUIDE document at the Research Teacher Fellows program website. DEADLINE: January 23, 2012.

TESTIMONIALS from past Teacher Fellows about the Frontiers in Physiology program:

On the fellowship experience: “Enjoy every minute of the fellowship experience because it goes by so fast. You are so absorbed in the material and assignments that it will take you a year just to compress and reflect on it all. So soak it up, relax, and enjoy the incredible journey that the APS will take you on!”

On the skills on transforming cookbook labs: “I have learned a lot through these transformations. Where I once thought my labs were student centered and inquiry based, I am beginning to see just how teacher directed they were. I think I will have a great deal of transforming to do this year.”

—————————————————————————————————————————

Questions? Contact the Interim K-12 Programs Coordinator: Margaret Shain: mshain@the-aps.org

FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY is supported by the APS, a Science Education Partnership Award (R25RR025127) from the National Center for Research Resources, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R13DK039306) at the National Institutes of Health.

Scarletta Whitsett

Science Fair Coordinator/Project Asst.

The American Physiological Society

Education Office

9650 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-634-7228
301-634-7098 (fax)

Science Fair: www.the-aps.org/education/sciencefair/index.htm

ISEF: http://www.the-aps.org/education/isef/index.htm

An enthusiastic student who participated in Girls on Ice last summer is looking for 2012 summer programs or opportunities in any area of biology. Does anyone have suggestions for her?